


The Nuclear Option

by SlashWriter2015



Category: Fallout 4
Genre: Action/Adventure, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Boston CommonWealth, Brothers, Eventual Romance, M/M, Major Character Injury, Power Shift, Railroad Wins, Romance, Slow Build, Synths (Humans), more tags to come
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-04-10
Updated: 2016-04-17
Packaged: 2018-06-01 08:05:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,109
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6509806
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SlashWriter2015/pseuds/SlashWriter2015
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Could anything fix the world? That was a question Shaun frequently asked himself. He wasn't sure of the answer, not since the world had been blown to hell. He could only take day by day at this point. All while trying to keep his emotions and sanity in check, but for how long?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. At Odds

**Author's Note:**

> This starts a few days before the Great War, ya know, when the big bombs fell and turned the world into a nuclear wasteland. Eventual Macready/MSS. Give it time. Slow build.

Fresh morning sunlight filtered in through white hazy clouds, spilling over and covering the Boston Commonwealth in the sunlit rays of a new day. Traffic was slowly building up as people were just now waking from their slumber and getting ready for the day, the nip of autumn just around the corner as colorful fall leaves fell from their parent trees and settled on the ground. Somewhere, amidst all the hustle and bustle of downtown Boston, a red convertible sat in early morning traffic, an idle hand playing with the knob on the car radio as the city slowly came to life outside the car windows.  
Click  
“I don't want to set the world on fire-”  
Click  
“Dream a little dream of me. Say nighty night and kiss me-”  
Click  
“Crazy he calls me, sure I'm crazy. Crazy in love I say-”  
Click  
“I would forget him if I only could, he's a demon, he's a devil, he's a doll-”  
Click  
“It's all over but the crying and nobody's crying but-”  
Click  
“Shaun O'Riley, if you do not quit flipping through channels and just settle on a station, I am going to pull this car over and blow my top!” Aaron O'Riley cried out disapprovingly, turning his eyes from the road and glaring at a certain Shaun O'Riley who held an empty and remorseful look on his face.  
“I'm sorry, there's just nothing good on right now!” Shaun exclaimed, finally twisting the knob in annoyance and turning the radio off completely. With a huff, the younger O'Riley brother sat back in his seat as he pushed his jet black hair out of his eyes and looked off to the side, watching out of the corner of his eyes as his older brother shook his head before returning his attention back to the road.  
“Listen Shaun . . . I know you’re nervous, with the move and all, but I really think this will be a good step for us. A whole new city with new experiences and people . . . plus the base isn't far from home so we can finally spend more time together. Isn't that great?” Aaron asked, giving a sideways glance to the moody teenager at his side. He knew deep down that he had bogged Shaun down with a lot here recently, with the move and a new school and having to get used to a whole new city. It was a lot to ask, especially after tearing Shaun away from any kind of friends he had back in New York, but he had to keep up his optimism; all they had was each other now.  
“Yeah . . . I guess,” the eighteen-year-old replied meekly, not even bothering to look back at the man as Aaron kept on driving.  
“Come on champ . . . it’ll be a new start for us both. We even have Codsworth now, which means less housework for us, you can even spend more time on those little robots you make, and-”  
“Aaron . . . can you . . . just quit for now? I'm not really in the mood for another “It'll get better” talk. I've heard enough of them to last a life time. We moved because you got a pay increase, better job, blah, blah, blah. I know the spiel, you don't have to give me the run down again. When it really boils down to it, you didn't give me much of a choice to begin with. There's nothing I can do about it now, so let's just drop it please!” Shaun exclaimed as he shot his older brother an annoyed glare before sighing with discontent. It took a lot to make Aaron upset. Some said he was a man of steel both emotionally and physically, but knowing his baby brother was mad at him made him deflate quicker than anything the military or life could throw at him. Not wanting to upset Shaun further, Aaron fixed his gaze back to the road, both of them sitting in dead silence the rest of the way. After several long, quiet minutes, they pulled up in front of the new high school Shaun would be attending for his senior year.  
“Well, looks like we are here,” the elder of the two remarked, putting the car in park as he turned his gaze towards Shaun and attempted a smile. Anything to try and make the teen feel slightly better about their situation.  
“Yep . . . looks like it,” was all the teen could say back, the twenty-three year old's smile faltering as he pulled at his hands and sighed.  
“I'll be getting off from the base today at five. I already instructed Codsworth to start dinner an hour before I get home. You won't have to worry about cooking anything or setting the table. Maybe tonight we can go over costume ideas? Halloween is only eight days away—maybe I could take you to the base for the family costume party. Would you like that?” Aaron questioned with a hopeful undertone, desperately trying to get on his brother's good side.  
“Yeah, whatever makes you happy. I gotta go though, see you later tonight,” Shaun ended the conversation as he opened the door, not bothering to give his older brother any kind of recognition as slammed the door shut and sulked his way up to the front steps of the school.  
“See ya bro,” Aaron whispered back, suddenly feeling powerless and empty inside before taking off down the road once more.


	2. A Startling Undertone

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Something is going on in the world, but that won't stop Aaron from trying to be the best brother ever

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys, another chapter is up now! Please give me your thoughts! Macready will eventually come, I promise! I'm just setting up the beginning of this great story and it's backstory for the brothers

“I am so dead . . . so fucking dead,” Aaron muttered angrily to himself, peering at the dashboard clock as he drove by the Drumlin Diner, the nightly crowd growing at the popular joint. Aaron knew that Shaun was going to be more than pissed at him, anyone would be—he was more than three hours late for dinner. He could do nothing at this point but grip the steering wheel ‘til his knuckles turned white and silently curse his superior officer under his breath. Passing by the Red Rocket Gas Station, he could finally see the faint light of Sanctuary Hills growing closer as he crossed the bridge into familiar territory.  
“Aw shit!” Aaron cried out, noticing the light of his living room still on, which only meant one thing. Shaun O'Riley was still awake . . . and waiting for him. Aaron mentally prepared himself for the earful he was going to receive from his baby brother. He knew deep down that he wasn't making it easier on the kid with constantly moving him from town to town. The least he could have done was be on time for dinner every once in a while. Turning off the engine, Aaron looked up and into the window of his living room, the light of the house shining through the drapes. Getting out of the car and making his way to the front door, Aaron reached out and gripped the door knob as he silently bit down on his bottom lip. “Now or never,” he thought to himself, closing his eyes and taking a deep breath before opening the door.  
“Before you even say anything, I know I am late! My superior officer kept me over Shaun! I had no cho-” Aaron was suddenly cut off by the image of his brother, sound asleep on the couch with the TV's white noise playing in the background.  
“Ah, good evening sir! I see you've finally returned from your job. May I take your suitcase sir?” came Codsworth’s voice, drawing Aaron out of his stupor as he directed his attention to the Mr. Handy Robot.  
“Oh . . . yeah, go ahead. Codsworth, what time did Shaun fall asleep on the couch?” Aaron whispered in turn, the robot reaching forward and taking his bag and coat from him with his metallic pincers.  
“Well, I'd say around seven-o-clock, sir. He ate his dinner and put yours up in the fridge and then sat down for some family television. I tried to tell the lad that he would be much more comfortable sleeping in bed, but the lad wasn't having any of it sir. I've resigned myself to finishing the household laundry and washing the dishes sir. Will that be all sir?” the robot asked, cocking one his eyes to the side as Aaron gave a simple head nod in return before redirecting his attention back to his brother once more. Walking into the kitchen and opening the fridge, Aaron saw his dinner secured in an airtight container with his name written on it. By the now the Salisbury steak would be ice cold, no way he could eat it without throwing it in the oven. Closing the fridge, Aaron finally noticed a small note taped to the fridge door.  
“Went ahead and ate dinner, put yours in fridge.  
Don't worry about explaining, I understand.”  
And just like that, Aaron felt as guilty as ever. Turning his attention back to the form of his sleeping brother, he couldn't help but let this sickening feeling of guilt and shame build up inside of him and consume him. He was a horrible brother, and he knew deep down that he was losing all credibility with Shaun. Walking over to the television and turning it off, he turned around and bent down to his brother’s level. Sighing to himself, the older of the two drew his fingers through Shaun's jet black hair and smiled down at him. Taking in the eighteen-year-old's features, from the freckles that littered his cheeks and nose to the slight scar that scarred the teen's lower lip, he could see so much of himself in his little brother. Shaking his head slightly, Aaron finally gently reached his arms under the teen’s body and hauled him up with enough care to make a new mother envious. Walking down the hall and into Shaun's room, Aaron reached out a hand and drew back the blankets before depositing the teen into the soft and comfortable heap that was his bed.  
“Goodnight kiddo . . . I love you.” Aaron whispered, more to himself than anything, before leaning down and planting a small peck to Shaun's forehead. Straightening himself out, Aaron turned to leave the room, pausing to take one last glance at his little brother before turning out the light.  
Later that night, Aaron found himself sitting in the living room all by himself. The only light came from a small yellow table lamp as he held a glass of ice-cold wine in his hands. With Shaun asleep and Codsworth doing whatever kind of household chore he could find for himself, he was left to his own devices. It was at these kinds of times that he let his mind wander, letting it take him to whatever dark corners his consciousness held inside him. He had so many questions floating through his mind, many which he wished he had the answer to. Is he doing the right thing? Is he raising Shaun right? Would their parents be proud of the man he had become . . . and the man that Shaun was becoming? Aaron tried to push those thoughts back down, only for new and even more confusing ones to take their place. He'd never let Shaun know, more or less because it would cost him his job and even possibly . . . their life, but his job at the base scared the hell out of him. With all the new developments coming out from Anchorage and the Chinese home front, to the struggles of the European Commonwealth and the Middle East, each one provided an even more startling perspective of the war that was taking place across the globe. The latest developments were responsible for an even deeper fear: both China and Russia had gone completely radio silent, the whole reason he had to stay over tonight. The whole base was in an uproar, with even the President's comm line going dark. Aaron didn't know if it was a signal issue or if there was something more sinister at play underneath all the espionage and war tactics, but he did know one thing for certain. Tomorrow he was going to enjoy his day off and try his hardest to make it up to Shaun for his many absences and lousy attempt and being both a parent and sibling. He was going to try to spend some quality time with Shaun, and nothing was going to stop him. Pushing away his hazy cloud of thoughts and questions, Aaron stood up and put his wine down on the kitchen counter before stretching and sighing to himself. Tomorrow was going to be a new day, come hell or high water. Smiling to himself for once that night, Aaron turned off the lights to the house and headed to bed.

**Author's Note:**

> Please leave your reviews and thoughts. With every review, not only does it make my day but it also helps me improve my work with your ideas and thoughts and praise!


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